Feeling Irrelevant?

Around 100 mission leaders recently gathered in Australia. It is our habit to meet once every two years or so to listen to each other and discern together the places God is taking us. At this meeting, aside from organizational leaders, some church/mission partners were invited from from Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, Sudan, and the Solomon Islands. We wanted to hear from them; and when it was over, we realized afresh how much we needed to.

Our friend from Sudan shared how followers of Jesus there are suffering for their faith. We knew that I guess.  But we didn’t know that is their expectation.  He shared (very humbly) that they view John 16:1-4 as an assurance they would suffer. I felt as though I was listening to Paul himself when, like in Acts 14:19-22, he “encouraged them to remain true to the faith” by saying: “we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” I would guess that for most Western believers, this teaching has not been part of our normal discipleship process.  We have a lot to learn.

A friend asked me afterward “what did you think of today?” referring to these reports. I spoke honestly when I simply said “I feel irrelevant.” These friends have suffered deeply because they believe in Jesus, yet, they stand strong and with obvious joy. I’ve often wondered quietly and to myself: “when we are sent from here to _____, who has more to teach who? A recent grad from seminary or a Christian leader who has suffered deeply for their faith?” (note: fill in the blank with the one of hundreds of nationalities who suffer for being believers). The truth is though …

We need each other. God is calling for a new way in mission. It is led by the Spirit as we pray. It is thoughtful and courteous. It is globally informed. It is reflective of how we are truly one. And I suspect, if it is these things, our “mission” endeavours will be effective and relevant.

Life of surrender

From Lori* a worker in Asia.

“A life of complete surrender is so easy to hear mentioned, and yet it is completely different to live when we are challenged to go another step beyond our comfort.  This coming fall I am being asked to live in a remote village as the only foreigner and only light in the area.  As an extrovert, this direction is something that I am hesitant to follow.  And yet, God has ever been faithful in reminding me that these people are worth the suffering of His Son’s life, let alone the suffering that I might endure as a lonely light here.  It is amazing to get a chance to surrender in the hardest areas in my life and to think of what may come our of obedience to Him.  Each day leading up to this time is a step of faith and each day He reminds me that He will be with me no matter how challenging it may be.  Though the road isn’t always easy, it is exciting that He would think it worth our suffering to use us and refine us in such amazing ways!”

*pseudonym

And this is Pioneers

It was a gathering unlike any I had ever experienced. One small person caught up in a sea of multi-coloured faces, I was awed by the experience of having our shared faith transcend our differences.

Within a few days, I worshipped with Christian believers from every continent. I shared tearful prayers with a Solomon Islander in response to a profound devotional by a Brazilian leader. I participated in the laying on of hands and prayer over African brothers and sisters, while they listened to French translations. I sat until the early morning hours discussing what “community” really means, and finding it, with dear brothers and sisters from four different countries. I was convicted by the teaching of a Ghanaian leader, and I was moved by the testimony of a Chinese brother, and the prayers of an Arab fellow believer. 

What profound power the gospel has to cross boundaries.  We were all moved by the slice of heaven we experienced in the joyful fellowship of a multi-coloured and diverse gathering of children of God.

Not so different after all

After a long series of international flights, I found myself hungry in Bangkok at 2 am, so I set off with a few others to find some food.  The night life on this busy street was in full swing, and we sat down at a small, cramped table.  Tired, and giving myself license to be judgmental, I started to criticize the scene that bothers me every time I visit that beautiful country:  so much prostitution and exploitation of young girls.  After a bit of ranting I began to realize that one man near our table was listening in on our conversation.  What was equally as obvious was that he fell into the category of men I so easily condemned.

The veil is taken away

From one of our members in South Asia:

“It doesn’t seem like a moment passes here without a dog barking or a rickshaw wallah honking his horn. Thousands of people crowd the streets, alongside animals and garbage, all going about their everyday lives. Chances are that on their daily travels they will visit a temple or idol. Or perhaps they will rush to the mosque or a local saint shrine to pray. The city here is spiritually charged. There is certainly no lack of religion.

“And yet not much changes for the good of the people here. The poverty increases, the government officials seem to become more corrupt, the lives of women get harder, and those beaten down by the caste system sink even lower. This way of life has existed for thousands of years. The siutation is desperate, there is no solution that man can give. Unless the Gospel penetrates hearts, the veil of darkness will prevail and all will be lost. But we are counting on His intervention. ‘But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.’ 2 Corinthians 3:16″

Learning from other cultures

I heard a great quote referenced in a discussion on culture issues among our Exposure participants.  I thought I’d share it here.  It’s from an article by Jim Thomas, called “What’s culture got to do with it?“

 

“No single culture truly reflects the Kingdom of God.  Rather, every human culture is flawed by hearts that run from God.  But not all is lost.  Every culture also provides some insights into God’s kingdom.  From the Christians in China, for example, we in the west can learn about living sacrificially, for many of them are willing to suffer prison and abuse in order that the word of God’s kingdom might spread.  From a Christian in Kenya, we can learn God’s extravagant generosity.  From the family in Afghanistan, we can learn of hospitality.  If we are to more fully understand and experience God’s kingdom, we need people of other cultures to challenge our cultural assumptions and identify our blind spots.  We also need to learn from their insights into God’s kingdom.” (Jim Thomas)

Pictures from May COP

Donnie teaching a session to the candidates

Highlight of our year

Insider language abounds in Pioneers. Spend any time on the inside of our organization and you’ll quickly be confronted with many words and acronyms that refer to ideas, values, events and processes. COP is one of those. Standing for “Candidate Orientation Program” it refers to the four-day event that we host for those interested in applying, or simply learning more about Pioneers. Pioneers Canada hosts on average two COPs year, and for our office staff, they usually prove to be a highlight.
We had our largest Canadian COP yet this past week, with 14 people taking part. Our whole team is involved with the event, enjoying the opportunity to get to know these new people. We love to hear more of how God has been leading in their lives, and to get an idea of their passion and calling. I personally appreciate this time because we’ll be interacting with most of these people in significant ways in the coming years. This provides a beginning of relationship, and lays the foundation for that.
Most of us on the Pioneers Canada team end up teaching a session or two, and the orientation aims to help the candidates through a process of exploring this calling of theirs to serve in cross-cultural contexts. We go through everything from team dynamics to support-raising issues.
It’s hard to summarize what this experience is like for us. You might say, that it’s a reminder for us that our day-in, day-out office jobs are worthwhile.

Another COP

It’s quiet around here today; I think it’s because we’re all recovering from the weekend. From Thursday night until last night we’ve been hosting one of our Candidate Orientation Programs. It’s been fun getting to know 14 great candidates who are applying to join Pioneers Canada, and preparing to serve in cross-cultural contexts.

I’ll write more tomorrow, and include a few pictures from the weekend.

Stop giving them reasons

Christianity.ca published an article on May 9th entitled, “Derisive comments against Evangelicals have got to stop“. Written in response to the harsh comments made by Elizabeth May in a church service recently, the article makes the point that the Canadian ethos of tolerance does not allow for such small-minded bigotry of other religions, and should not indulge in straw-man attacks and deliberate misunderstandings of Christianity.
It saddens me that “evangelical” and “Christian” have become derogatory terms. We all know how the Canadian media portrays people of Christian faith, and countless of us have shuddered to see the unfair insinuations made. I agree with the article. The double-standard that permits unfair judgment on people because of Christian faith, should indeed, stop.
I do offer a slightly differing perspective though. Presumably the article will be read by a predominately Christian audience, and it cannot fail to find overwhelming agreement. My thought is this: perhaps our energies would be better focused on accepting our own responsibility in the matter.
If you, Christian, have never encountered small-minded people of faith, then you have been luckier in your associations than I have. If you, Christian, have never been the small-minded person, you’re wiser than I am. The negative (and popular) perception of Christianity does not match up to the faith I endeavour to live out, but neither do all of my actions.
We can demand an end to the derisive comments, or we can stop giving so many reasons to our critics. We need to humble ourselves, and sacrificially choose the way of love.
This won’t guarantee our acceptance in Canadian society, but that’s not the point. The cross is a stumbling block to many, let us keep from adding our hypocrisy as another.